Not enjoying riding... Will it change?

[MikeyC]

Long story short... I recently (within the last month), bought an R6, which i've managed to ride 2/3 times. However, i'd not ridden for about 11/12 years. Literally, the last time I did ride, I had an accident (nothing too serious but still needed a few weeks of physio), but it knocked my confidence for six.

Getting back on a bike after so long, i'm riding around like a bag of nerves. My confidence is shot to pieces. I'm riding so slowly, i'm overly cautious and just have the view that i'm invisible on the road and every car driver is not going to see me and take me clean out. I can feel i'm not relaxed in my posture, my hands are hurting where i'm gripping tightly. Slow turns are the worst for me, especially sharp turns, roundabouts. I don't know whats wrong with me, I just feel like the bike is gonna go from underneath me.

If i'm not enjoying riding, what's the point? I really want to fall back in love with it again, but i'm struggling. Weather isn't helping to be fair. I used to LOVE being on the bike, any excuse to go on it. Now i'm looking for excuses to not go on it. Any advice?

[Kentol750]

Just my tuppenthworth... r6 not really the bike for the time. Even Rossi and Marquez get on 'mild' powered bikes after an off. You're brave! Go find a school near you thats got a good rep, and get a lesson. Then have a lesson on your bike.
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Some bikes.

[Stinka]

Agreed get rid of the r6 ! Or keep it but get a cb500 or a cb600 etc, something cheap and comfortable. Kentol suggestion of having a lesson or 2 is absolutely spot on. Start from scratch and learn to ride like you are invisible, defensively and safe. And just keep going at it. Commute and ride all the time, get the miles under your belt and it will become more natural feeling and the fear will subside as routine takes over

[MikeyC]

Yeah, good advice guys. After I crashed my old ZX6-R, I was given a CB600 (I think it was?) as a courtesy bike and I absolutely hated it, hated the whole riding style and position of a commuter bike, as all I'd ever known was a Supersports bike. Having ridden that commuter bike for a day, I handed it back and hadn't ridden since then pretty much...

[Enduro Numpty]

Possibly the wrong bike but I find if I'm not enjoying riding that much I need to find uncluttered winding roads, preferably with little traffic and lots of scenery. That's why I live in rural Aberdeenshire .

[linuxyeti]

You're also now 11-12 years older, your body & preferences will have changed, to some degree without you knowing. Sports bike probably isn't the way to go anymore, commuter style bike riding position, may well be better for you now.

Go to a local bike school, and see if they will let you try out a variety of bikes which have differing riding styles/positions.

Or, just accept, after 11-12 years, it's going to take time to build up confidence, especially as you obviously didn't ride much after your accident, so, not only have you the lack of practice, but also 11-12years of self doubt & loss of confidence that has festered away under the surface.
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[Tankie]

You've defo got the wrong bike,
my 23 year old son got rid of his R6 and bought an MT07 which has a slightly different riding position, you cannot retain the agility of a jockey forever . Back in the 80's I was riding things like Bimota's , almost impossible to ride , now as suggested I ride things a lot less sporty, but what most of you would call classics or vintage with an upright position
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[Skudd]

It may be just the bike. I had my Varadero stolen a year ago and got a FJR to replace it. Lovely bike but I didn't enjoy riding it. I had to use the FJR to commute, but didn't go for ride outs on it at all. Two weeks ago got myself a BMW GS Adventure and have fallen back in love with biking, I have that itch back, the need to ride for sheer pleasure.

You need to find a bike that you feel confident in and it may be a different style. Or you just need to take baby steps, slow down and think how you ride and how you do things. If you go round a bend and get it wrong, turn round and do it again and do it right.

Keep going, it will get better.
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[Jim Mc]

Sports bikes are the worst for tight corners. Get a bike with an upright position so you're not putting all of your weight onto the bars and so the bars actually have a decent turning angle.

[wr6133]

Light twitchy bike with a sporty seating position, probably amongst the worst choices for regaining confidence after a decade away.

I'd put the R6 in the back of the garage for now and get a cheap old naked upright. If that gets you back in your groove then retry the R6 later, if the R6 then still doesn't gel then sell it and get a less cheap, less old naked upright.

[ThunderGuts]

Just repeating the above really, but I'd agree the bike is probably not the friendliest to get back into the saddle on, but before you think about changing it I'd go and get a few lessons riding your own machine (or a lesson on a school big bike then your own machine). It's massively confidence boosting having an instructor hovering behind you and he/she can point out any weaknesses and help ease you back into it.

Good luck and stick at it!

FWIW, prior to owning a motorcycle I had a nasty accident on my pushbike when a car T-boned me turning left across my path and this really knocked my confidence for a while, but I got over it and it doesn't bother me anymore. The approach of thinking everyone is out to kill you I'd say it good practice though on anything two wheeled, powered or not!
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TG.

[BTTD]

Go for a one day back to biking 1:2:1 ride with an instructor. You'll get on pointers on stuff you've forgotten (if they're decent) and you feel more confident at the end of it.
Maybe the R6 is the right bike for you, but it doesn't sound like it. What are you trying to get back to? Balls out riding - maybe a track day would be better?

[MarJay]

Buy a 390 Duke or something upright with a bit of power and nice and light weight. Feel the punchy engine, get used to flinging it around on quiet B roads and just be smug that it's more fun than an R6.

The same thing happened to me. I did not have as long off of the bike, but my Street Triple helped at first, but really what changed my riding was to push myself. I did a couple of seasons of Pitbike racing, and it transformed my attitude, my confidence and my riding. Part of that was because the bike was not intimidating, and part of that was because racing itself was EXTREMELY intimidating. I learned to deal with the intimidation whilst knowing that the bike wasn't the issue, and that really helped my head.

Sell R6. Buy something small, punchy and fun with loads of grip, and build back up again. You'll thank us afterwards.
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Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[Bhud]

Because of your long time away, you lost a lot of XP and therefore got demoted quite a few levels. To build those levels back up, you need the right tool for the job. You could do it on the R6 if you really wanted, although it's not the best tool for the job. Go home and start from scratch. Back to basics, technical riding skills, slow-speed maneuvres, corners, road positioning, awareness and anticipation, throttle control, etc. From scratch. I suggest you go back to your old instructor or any riding instructor you trust.

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

If I'd been away that long I'd be tempted to treat it like I was starting from scratch. So I'd be wanting a bike that's piss-easy to ride, like the old cb500 or something. Relatively light, linear power, does what it's told. Yeah it's vanilla, yes it's only got a bit of beans - but these are virtues to in the right context.
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[chickenstrip]

Some good advice above I think, so I'm not going to try to offer any extra, but just would like to say I hope you can get your biking mojo back, and wish you good luck.
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[stonesie]

Another vote to get rid of the R6, it will be putting weight on your wrists and every twitch you make will affect the bike and make it feel skittish. Not what you need when you have had so long off the bike and are trying to rebuild confidence.

Something like a Duke 690 or MT07 has enough power to be fun without being so thrashy. I like a bike with low down grunt and light handling without being tucked up like a jockey to ride the thing. Upright riding positions let you see further giving more time to react, the more relaxed style really can help with confidence.

Also if you don't do a refresher lesson with a local bike instructor then look in to Bikesafe or Enhanced Rider Scheme, they will give you some advanced riding tips to increase your confidence further.

[M.C]

Grip the tank with your knees and you'll loosen your death grip on the bars, that'll stop you reacting to every little bump and making the bike (and yourself) nervous, and your inputs will be smoother.

I've been through this twice now after breaks from riding although admittedly not for as long as you, the only solution is seat time and lots of it.

[stinkwheel]

Go out and have a laugh on something where the bike, not the rider, is the limiting factor (not many people could claim that the bike is the limiting factor when riding an R6). Then you are riding the bike not the other way round.

Even something really small and silly. I'd get a Honda Grom. I would only need a very feeble excuse to buy one. I always have a great time chucking an unintimidating, low powered bike about on its raggedy-edge.

An R6 is always going to be a bit of a squeaky-bum motorcycle, regardless of experience.

Note I'm not saying sell it, I think you should get a small bike AS WELL. This is clearly a normal thing to do and in no way collecting and hoarding more motorcycles than you could possibly have time to ride and maintain.
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[MarJay]

[MikeyC]

Thanks all, advice seems to be fairly unanimous. Definitely worth looking into. Though I just feel that the bike i'm on isn't such an issue (though a change may help), as the lack of confidence and enjoyment is all in my head. I think I need to get more miles under my belt and the confidence will gradually grow.

It's mad when I think back to how confident I used to be, compared to now... like i'm a shadow of my former self!

[M.C]

[chickenstrip]

Perhaps it might help if you go a few places where the bike isn't the reason for the trip, and you're not in a hurry. Although an R6 probably isn't the best bike to not be in a hurry on, so the pointers about a different bike make sense here too
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
THERE'S MILLIONS OF CHICKENSTRIPS OUT THERE!

[stevo as b4]

I can partly relate to this and say I had a long period on sports bikes (way back) when I didn't feel comfortable or confident on them. I was from a Motocross riding position background. It took 2000miles on my ZX6R to get even semi confident on it, and many more miles and hours riding all over the UK and abroad before I felt it was really natural and I could make it do whatever I wanted when I wanted it to.

Also if you have 4-5months off a year it'll take several 100miles and rides to get back a feeling for it and feel normal again.

If you've only ever known and had sports bikes, then unless your uncomfortable in terms of riding position and ergonomic room then I agree that the bike probably isn't the problem.

I had 5-6 years away from bikes, and I'm sure I could ride a supersports/superbike now to an extent, but I'm sure I wouldn't enjoy it or be happy on one now. I like MX/Trail/Supermoto bikes, and commuter scooters etc and as such I can't see me ever riding a big sports bike again, and I wouldn't swap my trail 125 for a Race rep 125, unless it was just to have as an ornament.

[Robby]

This is the situation where used Chinese 125s are ideal.
Spend £500 quid on one. Wear good protective gear. Ride it like you stole it.

If it breaks, or you drop it, who cares. Disposable bike.

Don't sell the R6, at least not yet. Get your confidence back and then decide.